Read more about the article Article 21 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions: Undermining the Cluster Prohibition?
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Article 21 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions: Undermining the Cluster Prohibition?

A diplomatic conference leading to the Convention on Cluster Munitions (CoCM) was held on 30 May 2008 with the aim of banning the use of cluster munitions for all countries that ratified the Convention. Currently, 111 states are parties to the Convention and 12 are signatories. Despite the high number of participants in the treaty, success remains relative as some key major powers including the United States and Russia are missing. Furthermore, there is an important nuance reflected in the treaty concluded in Article 21, which explains that parties to the treaty are allowed to cooperate militarily with states that do use these weapons that are prohibited by the Convention (Convention on Cluster Munitions, 2008). Why is there controversy regarding the use of cluster munition and what are the consequences of Article 21 CoCM?

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26 July 2023
Read more about the article Poland and The United Kingdom: An Increasingly Robust Partnership
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Poland and The United Kingdom: An Increasingly Robust Partnership

The UK and Poland have what is currently being described as one of the closest partnerships within NATO (GOV.UK, 2022; Martin, 2023). This research paper will examine how this relationship has developed, with a special interest in the signing of the 2017 Treaty on Defence and Security Cooperation. The 2017 Treaty encouraged cooperation between the UK and Poland in a range of areas, including multiple agreements on exchanging military equipment and training of troops. These agreements became even more relevant, and arguably essential in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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25 July 2023
Read more about the article The EU’s Rapid Deployment Capacity Initiative: Developments, Prospects, and Challenges – True Marker of a Strategic Shift or Spectre of the Past?
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The EU’s Rapid Deployment Capacity Initiative: Developments, Prospects, and Challenges – True Marker of a Strategic Shift or Spectre of the Past?

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, called for Europe’s ‘geopolitical awakening’ in the foreword of the Strategic Compass, published in March 2022. The document, which marked a strategic shift in the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP), aimed to make the ‘EU a stronger and more capable security provider’ (EEAS, 2022).

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24 July 2023
Read more about the article South Korea’s Pursuit of Closer Ties: The Importance of EU Engagement on the Korean Peninsula
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South Korea’s Pursuit of Closer Ties: The Importance of EU Engagement on the Korean Peninsula

The relationship between the European Union (EU) and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK, commonly known as North Korea) has mostly been characterised by tension, limited engagement and strained diplomatic ties. Although the DPRK has embassies in most European countries, the relationship remains largely formal and marked by infrequent high-level interactions (EEAS, 2022). The EU has consistently condemned the DPRK’s unlawful weapons programmes and called for the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula in line with the international community’s stance (Council of the European Union, 2023). Direct diplomatic engagement between the EU and the DPRK has been limited and there have been few substantial efforts to improve relations or foster dialogue.

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20 July 2023
Read more about the article Private Military and Security Groups: Main Successes and Failures
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Private Military and Security Groups: Main Successes and Failures

On Saturday 24 June 2023, Russia woke up to a military mutiny. The Wagner Group, a Russian private military organisation that has played a central role in the current Ukrainian conflict, had started marching back across the Ukrainian border into Russia (Maguire, 2023). This was announced on the Telegram channel of Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, while Russian channels initially did not release an official statement (Maguire, 2023)

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19 July 2023